| Dracula | |
|---|---|
| Castlevania character | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Dracula-sotn.png) Dracula from Symphony of the Night | |
| First appearance | Castlevania (1986) |
| Created by | Hitoshi Akamatsu |
| Designed by | Noriyasu Togakushi (original design) Ayami Kojima (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night onwards) |
| Voiced by |
|
Dracula Vlad Țepeș (Japanese: ドラキュラ・ヴラド・ツェペシュ, Hepburn: Dorakyura Vurado Tsepeshu) or simply known as Dracula (Japanese: ドラキュラ, Hepburn: Dorakyura), real name Mathias Cronqvist, is a fictional character from the Castlevania video game series created by Konami. A vampire and a sorcerer, he is the main antagonist of the series, the archenemy of the Belmont clan, and the final boss of almost every installment. In the series reboot Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Dracula is reimagined as an 11th-century holy knight named Gabriel Belmont and serves as the central character of the game and its two sequels. The Lords of Shadow series tells the story of Gabriel's quest to save the world, vampirism and redemption.
The Dracula of Castlevania is based on Bram Stoker's character from the novel of the same name, who was in turn likely named for Vlad III Dracula of Wallachia. The Dracula of the Castlevania series draws inspiration from both, but instead of only preying on victims, this version threatens the whole world and the human race. Nevertheless, further games explore a sign of humanity in the form of his love towards his wife, who had a child named Alucard with him. Dracula was created by game director Hitoshi Akamatsu, who was fond of horror films when creating the Castlevania franchise. Koji Igarashi further expanded on his character, starting with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Meanwhile, the reboot by Mercury Steam was meant to show the character as more sympathetic in his transformation from a vampire hunter to Dracula.
Critical response to Dracula has been largely positive, establishing him as one of the most iconic video game villains. His portrayal in the "Lords of Shadow" trilogy received mixed reviews from game journalists, who praised the tragic elements of his story in the first two games. However, his characterization as Dracula was criticized for being too contrived. Meanwhile, his appearance in the Netflix animated series was received positively for coming across as more human, despite being a villain.
- ^ "Castlevania Fan Game Gets Official Voice Actors On Board". Rice Digital. 18 November 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "Program Guide Supplement – Anime Los Angeles 2009" (PDF). Anime Los Angeles. 26 December 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Dracula Voice – Castlevania franchise". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 17 December 2019. A green check mark indicates that the role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of the title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ "Netflix's animated Castlevania series returns for Season 3". Eurogamer.net. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
- ^ "アニメ『悪魔城ドラキュラ ―キャッスルヴァニア―』予告編映像と吹き替えキャスト情報を公開【動画あり】" (in Japanese). Famitsu. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.